Where does it say you go to Heaven when you die?

Question

My entire life growing up, I was lead to believe that you go to Heaven when you die if you believe and are saved. Whatever spin and additions to that you may require, that's the gist of the Christian faith.

I was recently at a funeral for a loved one, and the pastor that spoke gave a very different account. My uncle died after a long battle with cancer, and was quite religious. This man, his pastor, shocked me when he said that my uncle was not in Heaven with Christ. To the point where I almost walked out...

Thinking about it after the fact, it really causes concern for something that I have held belief in my entire life. The Bible does not say we go to Heaven when we die.

Ecc. 9:5
For the living are conscious that they will die; but as for the dead, they are conscious of nothing at all, neither do they anymore have wages, because the remembrance of them has been forgotten.

So all of that "he's in a better place" crap is just garbage?

Discuss.

For those that have e-mailed me and asked, I was raised of the Lutheran Church - Missouri Synod. I thank you for the responses, even the long winded ones.

Last additional details, per request - yes, I have had exposure to several Christian faiths. I have not once been told otherwise by a pastor, priest, minister, what have you, that you do not go to Heaven when you die. To my knowledge, this is not something that is limited to the Lutheran approach to theology.

Answer 1

Nowhere in the bible, perceptive one, nowhere in there.

Answer 2

I'm very glad you brought up the scripture in Ecclesiastes. There are a lot of mistranslations and false teachings about heaven and what happens to us when we die. But in that scripture it plainly says that we are "concious of nothing at all".

And surprisingly, it does not say anywhere in the Bible that certain people go to heaven when they die. There are scriptures in the Bible, however, that teach that there is a heavenly hope and also an earthly hope. If you have anymore questions or concerns, e-mail me and I'll do my best to teach you more.

Answer 3

Hell isn't a place of eternal torment, but the common grave of the humankind.

The teaching of hell fire has pagan origins. In ancient Babylonian and Assyrian beliefs the “nether world . . . is pictured as a place full of horrors, and is presided over by gods and demons of great strength and fierceness.”
Early evidence of the fiery aspect of Christendom’s hell is found in the religion of ancient Egypt.

The Bible says that "The wages sin pays is death" -- Romans 6:23. So, in the day we die our sins are erased. See also Romans 6:7.

The Scriptures say that Jehovah is love (1 John 4:8). A loving God wouldn't torture us an eternity. Actually that never crossed his mind. Consider the next verse:
"They have built the high places of Topheth, which is in the valley of the son of Hinnom, in order to burn their sons and their daughters in the fire, a thing that I had not commanded and that had not come up into my heart." -- Jeremiah 7:31

The soul is a man. The soul is not immortal. After death it ceases to exist.

"And Jehovah God proceeded to form the man out of dust from the ground and to blow into his nostrils the breath of life, and the man came to be a living soul." -- Genesis 2:7

"In the sweat of your face you will eat bread until you return to the ground, for out of it you were taken. For dust you are and to dust you will return." -- Genesis 3:19

"The soul that is sinning—it itself will die." -- Ezekiel 18:4

"For the living are conscious that they will die; but as for the dead, they are conscious of nothing at all, neither do they anymore have wages, because the remembrance of them has been forgotten." -- Ecclesiastes 9:5

"All that your hand finds to do, do with your very power, for there is no work nor devising nor knowledge nor wisdom in She′ol, the place to which you are going." -- Ecclesiastes 9:10

"His spirit goes out, he goes back to his ground;
In that day his thoughts do perish." -- Proverbs 146:4


For more information go to:
http://www.watchtower.org/library/w/2002/7/15/article_02.htm
http://www.watchtower.org/library/w/2002/7/15/article_01.htm
http://www.watchtower.org/e/20010715/article_01.htm
http://www.watchtower.org/library/w/2002/6/1/article_02.htm
http://www.watchtower.org/e/20001001/article_01.htm
http://www.watchtower.org/e/20001001/article_02.htm

Answer 4

You have spent many years being influenced by christendom.
It is a mistake to think christendom represents Christianity.
Christendom has lied to her people.
One of those lies is life in heaven.
When we die, we cease to exist ....anywhere.
If Lazarus went to heaven when he died, Jesus did him no favors by resurrecting him 4 days later.
The only reason Adam lost the gift of life was because he disobeyed.
What would have been the case if he remained obedient?
Where would he be now?
Where is our future according to Psalm 37:29?

Answer 5

Good for you to admit this. The word "sheol" in the Bible also means "grave". There is also no such thing as hell in the bible. You are very brave and intelligent to discuss this topic.

Answer 6

Nope -
The Bible says nothing whatsoever about 'going to heaven.' The word 'heaven' in Greek means 'the sky.'

Answer 7

The bible definitely talks about heaven read Revelation 21.

And I saw a new heaven and a new earth: And I John saw the holy city, new Jerusalem, coming down from God out of heaven, And the building of the wall of it was of jasper: and the city was pure gold, like unto clear glass. And the foundations of the wall of the city wee garnished wit all manner of precious stones...And the twelve gates were twelve pearls;...and the street of the city was pure gold, as it were transparent glass...And the city had no need of the sun,...for the glory of God did lighten it, and the Lamb is the light thereof."

Why would your pastor say that?... its a weird thing to say.... if you consider its coming from a pastor

Answer 8

Nowhere. You are right, when we die, we're dead. But, the Bible does say that 144,000 go to Heaven to serve with Jesus as kings and priests for 1,000 years in the future system of things. But as for the rest of mankind, the Bible holds out the hope of living forever on earth in that system. But as for right now, when we die, we no longer exist.

If u have any questions, please email me.

Answer 9

No, the "better place" exists, but it is not Heaven that we immediately go to upon mortal death. The pastor speaking at the funeral had correct points albeit they were crass and inappropriate for the bereaved to hear.

When we die, our spirits go to a spirit world that is most near us. To Paradise go the righteous spirits and to a spirit prison of sorts go the unrighteous.

If the Lord would will it, He could remove the veil between us and those spirits and we would see and recognize them for who they are to us. Call it another dimension if you will, but the spirit world is very close to us--not in the firmaments of heaven or outside the strata of earth itself.

All is not lost, for in the spirit world are teachers of the Gospel of Jesus Christ and they present the truth to those in the spirit prison. If these spirits accept the message delivered they may be able to repent and move out of that prison and into the more righteous side of the spirit world.

Nobody goes to Heaven or Hell until AFTER the resurrection and reunion of body and spirit and the judgment of Christ. At that time our bodies and spirit will become one again, but in an immortal perfecting form of flesh and bone.

Answer 10

2 Corinthians 5:8
We are confident, I say, and willing rather to be absent from the body, and to be present with the Lord.

Psalm 116:15
Precious in the sight of the Lord is the death of His saints.

The only question is whether your uncle knew Jesus as his Lord. Being "religious" is wonderful. But it does not save us.
If your uncle knew the Lord, then you can rest assured that he is in heaven with Jesus.

Answer 11

I'm with Uncle Thesis... except a little askew of him on the translation. The literal translation is -
The righteous possess the land, And they dwell for ever on it.
It's already done, or so it looks to me.